The Greek Village - Seminole, FLorida

Aunt Effie, Uncle Gil and Janis

The Greek Village

11125 Park Blvd Suite 117

Seminole, Florida 33772

 

(727) 393-6669  www.gogreekvillage.com

Check website for hours open.

I got as telephone call from Aunt Effie and Uncle Gilbert the other day. It seems that their old printer had given up the ghost and they had just purchases a new replacement from Office Depot. It is a sophisticated printer, scanner, FAX machine with Wi-Fi capability. Printer and scanner are what they wanted and all the rest was extra that made the installation intimidating. Somewhere in the background I heard that lunch would be offered. They do know how to push my buttons but that was all I had to hear and a date was set for the next day.

They live in a very nice retirement complex that offers amenities such as an extensive snack bar, the equivalent of a small café, and a more formal dining room experience the equivalent of a nice restaurant.  I have been their guest on two previous occasions and have blogged both of those experiences. I wasn’t overly anxious to do a third blog on the same pace so I didn’t even take my camera.

The printer installation was step by step easy and soon all the ends were tied up and the operator training completed. It was time for lunch. That is when I found out that we were going out for lunch to a place Gilbert and Effie had learned about from a neighbor. When I heard it was called The Greek Village I was a bit surprised. Ethnic restaurants are not the usual fare for Gilbert and Effie. After a quick plea, Gilbert and Effie were kind enough to lend me their camera for the outing.

Ham and Chicken Breast
On Pita Bread With Greek Salad

It was a short drive to the restaurant. It is in a very new appearing strip mall very near the Larger Seminole Mall complex. They have apparently moved recently because the plant looks cleaner and newer than their stated 29-years in business. Everything is very clean and neat, very inviting especially the glass display case as you enter with tiers of mouth-watering desserts.

The interior is comfortable low level lighting, the décor is Mediterranean and you have a choice of tables or booths. We were escorted to a booth on the divider making a split dining room and would probably provide a lower noise level during busy times. There were several other diners in the restaurant but it was nowhere near capacity and noise level was minimum; table conversation was low and relaxed.

Ham on Toasted Rye Bread
With Greek Salad

The menu is extensive and offers appetizers, salads, soups, pita specialties and sandwiches, combination platters and a large selection of Greek and Mediterranean-themed dinners. There is a small selection of children’s dishes, pastas with meatballs or chicken in red or feta sauce. There is also a large selection of wines to choose from.

It was a lunch visit and our attention was directed at the pita specialties and sandwiches section; there are a lot of things to choose from. Aunt Effie ordered the Baked Ham and Turkey Breast Toasted Oven Sandwich. ($8.50 Toasted Oven Sandwiches with Greek Salad - Choose pita, sub roll, whole wheat or rye bread with melted provolone cheese) She chose the pita bread. It was similar to what she ordered on her first visit and she wanted to try it again. When served, the sandwich and salad is a large plate of intimidating proportion. Over the course of a relaxed lunch she was able to eat all of her meal saying that it was very good.

Meatball Parmesan on Sub Roll
With Greek Salad

Uncle Gil ordered the Baked Ham Toasted Oven Sandwich. ($8.50 Toasted Oven Sandwiches with Greek Salad - Choose pita, sub roll, whole wheat or rye bread with melted provolone cheese) He chose the rye bread. There were nice thick slices of toasted rye bread with ample sliced ham filling. With the salad it was a very ample meal that he was able to finish handily. He did enjoy the meal.

Janis ordered the Meatball Parmesan Toasted Parmesan Sandwich. ($8.50 Toasted Parmesan Sandwiches with Greek Salad – On pita or sub roll with our homemade sauce topped with melted provolone cheese and parmesan cheese) She chose the sun roll. It was a large sandwich with a half-dozen large meatballs in a thick marinara-style sauce with lots of melted cheese. With the salad on the side it was a large lunch. Surprisingly, she finished her sandwich; there was no need for a doggie bag this day! She said she enjoyed her meal very much.

Chicken Gyro
With Greek Salad

I ordered a gyro, Chicken Breast Strips on Pita ($8.50 Pita Bread Specialties with Greek Salad – wrapped with tomatoes, red onions, feta cheese and Zaziki (sic) Dip on the side) It was a well filled sandwich. The edges of the pita bread were just able to meet. There was lots of chicken, tomato and onion inside. It was flavorful; the chicken was well seasoned and succulent. The tomato was flavorful, red, firm and nicely ripe. The tzatziki sauce was cool, mild and refreshing. There was just enough of it but I would have preferred a bit more. I could have asked more I’m sure (the staff was attentive and eager to please) but I would have liked a bit more of the tzatziki instead of rationing it.

The salad was a mix of crisp salad greens, cherry tomatoes, slices of cucumber, red onion, a Greek olive and a pepperoncini. It was topped with an in-house signature dressing. Actually, the salad was very good; neither I nor my companions had any difficulty in finishing our salad portions. I did, however, find it curious that so little or misdirected effort was made in the plating of the salad. True, someone plated the lettuce greens and from containers allotted the requisite tomatoes, cucumber slices and then added the dressing. It just had the appearance of being plopped on the plate and not neatly plated as the picture of a Greek salad in their menu would infer. It tasted just fine it just looked a bit unkempt. All in all, though, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and mentally posted it as a place to return for another chicken gyro.

As for my companions, how was their dining experience? Janis is not what I would call an ethnic food person. In some ways the dietary choices are very limited. I would not before this day have considered that she would have ventured into a Greek restaurant not knowing what lurked inside. However, after today, The Greek Village is on a slowly expanding list of places to go out and enjoy a meal. That certainly is a compliment to The Greek Village. Perhaps, though, the best summary of our culinary voyage to the Mediterranean would be to show you Uncle Gilbert’s plate.